Forever has no end but has a start
by Ethell
Summary: After the Battle of Canary Wharf, Rose is stuck in a parallel world, desperate to find a way back. When it finally comes it is in a way she never expected, wearing waistcoat, cravat and brown curls.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the first fanfiction I post in years, and my first incursion in the Doctor Who universe, so I'm a little nervous! I'm a recent Doctor Who fan, and I certainly don't claim to know the canon backwards and forwards, so I apologize if I make mistakes here or in future chapters. **

**This was inspired by bluedawn01's excellent story Shades of Blue Cerulean.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

When Jackie finally manages to tear her away from the wall in that awful white room, she has been silent for a while, her tears run dry. Her throat is hoarse from shouting in anger and desperation, her hands throbbing from hitting the wall, but all she really feels is numb, an empty shell of herself. She follows them outside without much resistance, mechanically: out of the room, down a corridor, one feet in front of the other all the way to an elevator. If she could muster up the energy, she would be surprised at being able to function with a heart torn in pieces.

They bring her to Pete's mansion, put her in a bed, whisper soothing things she can't really hear. There is only silence screaming at her without the gentle hum of the TARDIS, and she tries to remember the last time she has gone to bed without its presence in her head. Velma II, she decides, where they had been forced to stay overnight, but then there had been his voice talking softly as she drifted off to sleep, a voice she would never hear again. Arms that would never hug her again, a hand forever empty, smiles never shared, and suddenly she finds tears to cry again.

The first few days are a blur. She doesn't want to talk, doesn't have the will to move. They force her to eat, to take her a shower. She changes back into the clothes she was wearing that day because she doesn't want to admit to moving on, even in that small way. The walls are closed, she is trapped, and do people really expect her to carry on like her life hasn't just ended?

Two weeks after the worst day of her life, something snaps her out of it.

"…and Pete said it's all taken care of, no one should be able to crack that story, is what he said. Sure people will wonder, an' we won't be able to stop the tabloids spreadin' rumors and all, but at least now you have an identity. You'll have papers and a bank account, you'll be able to start workin' and everything…"

Jackie has forced her down to the kitchen in front of a cup of tea, and proceeds to tell her the all-important news. Pete has forged an identity for her as their long-lost daughter, kidnapped at an early age and only recently found again. For Jackie, everything had been so much simpler. They had simply pretended that she had survived the Cybermen attack, but had suffered temporary memory loss due to the traumatic shock. People would no doubt talk about how much she'd changed, but no one would challenge her claim. She was the same person, after all, the one and only Jackie Tyler. But Rose had never existed in this world. This universe had never wanted a Rose Tyler, except in the diminutive form of a dog, and for her this is just an irrefutable proof that she shouldn't be here, that she has no place in this world.

"Rose, are you even listening to me?"

"Yes mum, that's great. I exist again." She takes a shaky breath, lets it go quickly. This is another step towards moving on, and she hates everything about it. "So what do you want me to now? Work in a shop again?"

"Don't take that tone with me. Nothin' wrong with working in a shop. But no, Pete thought you could start working for Torchwood. Even I have to admit, if there's one thing those years with _him_ gave you, at least, it's a knowledge of aliens."

Rose huffs out a breath in pain and closes her eyes, hands clenching at her side. Torchwood. As if she would work for the thing that destroyed her life. Without even considering the Torchwood in her original universe (she wouldn't, couldn't, think about that white room again), if it hadn't been for _this_ Torchwood's inability to deal with the Cybermen on their own, if they hadn't invented those damn dimension hoppers, they would never have come to her universe, and she wouldn't have been brought to -

Wait.

The dimension hoppers.

When they had come here by accident, before, the Doctor had said that travel between parallel universes was impossible. But he had been wrong. That much was obvious. Torchwood had done it once, maybe it could be done again…

She could sit around and mope all day, and spend the rest of her life being miserable, or she could try her hardest to get back to him. And Torchwood is probably her best chance of doing just that.

Steeling her resolve, she looks back at Jackie with a purpose in her eyes that has been absent ever since she was dragged into this universe.

"Alright mum. Call Pete. You can tell him I'll work for Torchwood."

* * *

The dimension hoppers had been entirely dependent on the walls between the universes being open, and would not work anymore, but Rose doesn't despair. After all, she tells herself, there's bound to be other solutions. Now that she's found her determination, there's no way she'll let herself give up. She won't accept his statement of 'impossible'. If it had really been impossible, she wouldn't be here in the first place. And, she argues with herself, he probably wouldn't just give up, either. She's sure that he's working too, on his side of the universe, trying to find a way to get her back. It is only a matter of who, between the two of them, got there first.

At Torchwood, no one seems particularly interested in developing dimensional travel anymore, now that the threat has passed. Even Pete is reticent to use his influence over it, thinking his not-daughter's despair at being separated with the Doctor would pass. Rose knows otherwise. The last years of her life changed her, defined her in ways she would never have believed possible, and she doesn't want to have to redefine herself without him. If people aren't willing to help her, she will have to do it alone.

She throws herself in her studies, aiming to finish her A-levels while working part-time for Torchwood. The rest of her time is spent in the Torchwood archives, poring over mission reports and descriptions of alien technology encountered or salvaged. Now that her slum is over, she throws herself into action with all her might. Jackie is delighted, thinking that Rose is on the right track to recovery, but she doesn't know it is all in the hopes of finding a way to leave. She is going to figure out a way to go back to him.

She has been here six months when she wakes up in the middle of the night, hearing his voice.

* * *

They all expect her to crumble to pieces again, she knows. They keep glancing at her on the ride back to London in a way they think is subtle, waiting another meltdown. It only steels her resolve. _You can't_, he answered, when she asked if she could ever see him again, and just that thought makes her fists tighten, her jaw clench. _I_ _can't, really? Well, tough_, she thinks. _I'll hear the rest of that sentence if it's the last thing I do_.

She loses herself in her work with even more ardor than before. She enrolls part-time at a university, takes up engineering and physics courses. She moves out of her parents' house to stop her mum complaining about her working too much and rents a flat close to Torchwood that she hardly ever spends time in. It isn't home. Nowhere but the TARDIS, with _him_, could ever really be home for her anymore.

God, she _is _going to find a way to get back.

_She has to_.

* * *

Reports have been coming in of strange noises and flashes of light occurring around an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of London. With no other information to go on, Torchwood has sent one of their best teams to investigate. Mickey Smith, Ben Evans, Jake Simmonds and Rose Tyler are under order to assess the situation, take no unnecessary risks, and report back. After a brief assessment of the area surrounding the building revealing nothing out of the ordinary, they are now crouched in a back alley next to the warehouse, trying to figure out the best plan of action.

"The building's too large, we'll have to split up, we'll cover more ground that way," says Jake, inspecting the area in front of him. "Would take too long otherwise." He glances at his teammates to see them nodding their heads, giving their assent.

"Yeah, you're right," agrees Ben. "Let's each take one side. I got this one. Jake, go right. Mickey, Rose, circle left."

"OK, that's a plan. Keep radio silence unless you find something. Be careful," Jake adds, clapping Mickey on the back before making off towards the side of the building, half crouching as he runs to another alley. Rose and Mickey nod to Ben briefly before moving off in the opposite direction.

They progress slowly and silently, staying hidden as much as possible. They warily scan the area as they go, attentive to any suspicious sound or sign of movement. So far, nothing. The place feels empty and desolate, broken windows and graffitied walls testament of its abandonment to time. They stop close to a door that is half hanging on rusted hinges.

"Right, that's my way in," says Rose quietly, nodding in its direction.

"Yeah, alright," replies Mickey. "I'll keep going round to the other side."

She nods and starts moving towards the door when he grabs her arm, making her look at him again.

"Rose, don't do anything stupid."

"Yeah, sure," she answers quickly. When Mickey continues to frown at her, she rolls her eyes. "Mickey, I'll be careful. Now go."

With one last look at her through narrowed eyes and a swift nod, he takes off.

Rose rolls her eyes once again. What does he think she's going to do? She knows better than to engage the enemy alone, without backup. Sure, she's grown a little… reckless recently, and she knows Mickey has noticed, but she isn't stupid. She sighs, and starts in a half-crouch towards the door.

Over two years. It has been over two years since she last saw him, almost three since she became stuck in this universe. She hasn't given up hope yet, even though she's had little success so far. It's just… some days are harder than others. Sometimes she feels herself almost surrendering to the despair that's been steadily growing, the heartache too much to bear. And, well, if she happened to be on a mission at the time… She shakes her head, clearing her mind to focus on the task at hand. No point thinking about this now. There was work to be done.

* * *

She has been exploring the warehouse for a good twenty minutes, walking carefully down a corridor, looking in one empty room to another without encountering any sign of whatever is supposed to be here. There is nothing, no sign of activity or recent disturbance to the mess the place is in. She is beginning to think that his has been a false lead when she stiffens and pauses, straining her ears.

There. There it is again. A sob, faintly echoing through the corridor.

She takes off in the direction of the sound, her hand gripping almost painfully the handle of her stun gun. She creeps forward cautiously, trying her best to be silent, until she comes to an open door. Carefully peeking inside, she freezes for a second time.

It is a large room, as dimly lit as the rest of the building, and as broken down. Scattered pieces of junk and broken glass are scattered everywhere on the ground. But what catches her attention is that back against one of the walls, inside what looks like a giant cage, are three human beings.

One is a man who looks to be in his sixties, sitting on the floor with the back of his head against the cage, his eyes closed, his posture slumped in defeat. One is a woman in her thirties, kneeling on the floor, one arm around the shoulders of the third person in an attempt at comfort. And that third person… Rose clenches her fist as a stab of pain shoots through her heart. That third person is a young girl who can't be older than ten, sitting cross-legged on the floor, crying softly.

Rose fights against the overwhelming impulse to go to them and set them free. She has to call for back-up. She doesn't know where the kidnappers are, or even what they are. She can't just jump head first into the situation, even if her whole body is tightening in an urge to run to the cage. At the least, she should get one of her teammates here.

As she raises her hand to her headset to call Mickey, the line suddenly comes to life. Amidst the sounds of shots being fired and something crashing nearby, she can hear Jake's voice, yelling.

"Everyone, get out! One of them saw me, and they're not friendly aliens! I called for back-up, but for now, get the hell out of the building!"

Her breath quickens, her mind races, thinking fast. If the aliens know they have been found, they might decide to leave, to get away and find someplace new to hide. They might take the prisoners with them, or even worse… they might kill them, in favor of secrecy and a hasty escape. She can't risk it.

"Mickey, I've found prisoners," she calls into her headset. "Get back towards me, I'm going to get them out through that same door I came in. Hurry!"

Without waiting for his answer, she rushes into the room, quickly scanning it for any signs of aliens. Apart from the humans, it's empty. She hasn't met anyone on her way in either, so maybe luck is on her side. They might be all where Jake is, on the far side of the building. She moves towards the cage just as she hears Mickey's sharp reply.

"I'll be there fast as I can."

The humans all look up as they see her come in, and she quickly signals them to stay quiet.

"Shh. It's alright, I'll get you out of here. Any of you hurt?" As they shake their heads, she lets out a small sigh of relief. Good. They would be able to move quickly.

"Alright, we need to hurry, in case one of them comes back." She examines the cage and finds the door, kept close by a strange looking lock. Quickly changing the settings on her gun and motioning to the prisoners to move back, she is about to shoot when a faint, scared voice stops her.

"Miss? There was… another one of us," the woman pipes up. "A man. They took him away not long ago."

Rose lowers her gun and looks up, torn. She can't really go look for him _now_, can she? The aliens are alerted to their presence, there is no time. She has to get these people out, at least, while she still can.

"Alright," she answers in her best reassuring voice. "I promise we'll look for him. For now, let's get you out safe and sound, OK?"

She gives them a small smile, and they nod uncertainly. Breathing deeply, she raises her gun once again and aims it at the lock, praying it would be able to break it open as she presses the trigger.

It does, but the noise her shot makes, added to the sound of the lock exploding and crashing into a million pieces on the floor, reverberates loudly into the adjacent corridors. Rose swears quietly as she moves to open the door. If any of the aliens are remotely close to them, there is no way they haven't heard that.

She leads the prisoners quickly through the corridor, but soon she becomes aware of the sound of rushing footsteps behind them. She yells at them to go faster, and sees with relief the older man pick up the child in his arms, who was having trouble keeping up the pace.

Just as they are turning a corner, she feels a blast of energy rush past her to crash into a wall, missing her by mere inches. She crouches against the wall and quickly sets her gun back to stun.

"Go!" she yells, looking back at the prisoners. "It's straight out from here, and Mickey should be there and help you get away. I'll try to slow them down!"

"Mickey!" she shouts into her headset as she peeks around the corner at the two aliens coming towards her from the end of the corridor. She fires a few warning shots before pulling her head back in, narrowly avoiding another energy blast.

"I'm almost there!" comes the reply.

"Get to that door and help those people get away! Get them somewhere safe!"

She fires a few shots again and sees with satisfaction one of the aliens fall to the ground, stunned. The remaining alien ducks for cover into an adjacent room.

She waits with bated breath for any sign of movement from the corridor. She has to stand her ground, hold out a little longer, and then back-up would get here. She is so intent on the door through which the alien has disappeared that she misses the flash of movement from another door across from her, and when she hears the shot it is too late.

She feels the energy engulf her body, burning every nerve as pain explodes inside her. She tries to scream but she has no voice left, no breath. Darkness consumes her as she falls to the ground, her life slipping away from her.

* * *

**A/N: Before you all panic remember that this is a Doctor x Rose story, so I probably wouldn't kill her in the first chapter… Just a thought. Anyway, comments are appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorite/followed my story! For those in the last two categories, don't hesitate to review as well! I forgot to mention, the title of this story is from the song _Of Nature_, by _Faunts_.**

* * *

The Doctor drops down on his armchair in the console room and closes his eyes, trying to shake the day away. The adventure on Reznak II has been particularly exhausting, thanks to a mad scientist and his delusions of grandeur. He sighs, rubbing his temple with one hand as he recalls the insane glint in the man's eyes as the Doctor had him trapped on the roof of his lab, preferring to fall to his death rather than being handed over to the authorities. He tries to push the guilt and pain away as he takes a sip of his tea. If only living beings would stop seeking power and domination over others… But that will never happen. As long as there is life, there will be evil.

He needs a vacation. Somewhere uneventful, peaceful and quiet, where he could just take in the sights. But then, trouble always does seem to follow him anywhere he goes. Usually he doesn't mind. Most times he actively looks for it, but right now he just wishes it could all… stop.

As if on cue, the TARDIS starts to shake violently, throwing him out of his armchair and spilling his tea on the floor.

"What's the matter, old girl?" he asks in alarm as he feels her cry out, clearly in pain. The shaking only intensifies in answer, and he rushes to the console as fast as he can.

He has no idea what is going on. They are supposed to be drifting safely in the Vortex, but he can quite clearly see that they are in flight. He circles the console in alarm, pulling levers and pressing buttons to try and stabilize her even as the shaking continues and circuits start to smoke.

They land with a crash that knocks him off his feet. He rushes back to the console, trying to figure out what happened, where they are, but the monitor is only showing gibberish and most controls seem unresponsive.

"Are you alright?" he asks his ship, worried. He can feel her, weak and in pain, and the floor is still slightly shaking even though they are no longer in flight. The doors open suddenly and he feels a feeble nudge against his mind. She wants him to leave so she can repair herself in peace, he knows.

"Are you sure? I could help."

He senses her pushing him out, almost desperately, and he tries to swallow back his concern for his beloved ship as he moves towards the door. Best to go out and explore, then. Picking up his overcoat on the way out, he puts it on over his vest before stepping outside and carefully closing the doors behind him.

He stops just outside the TARDIS and closes his eyes, his senses assaulted by a peculiar sensation. There's a sort of strangeness in the air that he can't quite define, as if the very fabric of time and space is just slightly off. He couldn't exactly say _how_ it's wrong, and it's not overwhelming, either, just… unsettling.

Shaking off the feeling, he looks around. He seems to have landed in an abandoned building of some sort. He is in a large room with pieces of broken equipment strewn everywhere. And… what appears to be a large empty cage alongside one of the walls. Curious. Not the sort of thing you'd expect to find in your standard old building.

There are two doors leading out of the room and he hesitates for a moment, unsure where to go. Before he can decide, however, he feels a small tingle on the edge of his senses, just for a second before it disappears. He has no idea what it was, or if he has ever felt anything _quite_ like it. It was clearly originating from the corridor on his right, however, so he quickly moves in that direction.

Whatever caused that strange feeling is rather shy to make itself know, he thinks wryly, as he makes his way down a dark and dusty corridor, broken down doors leading to more empty rooms on either side. He starts questioning if he imagined the sensation when he turns a corner and abruptly comes upon a body, a woman bundled awkwardly on the floor against the wall.

He's at her side in a second, crouched next to her. Her posture is unnatural; something has certainly knocked her out (or worse, he tries not to think). He gently pushes the strands of the honey blond hair obscuring her neck as he reaches to feel her pulse, praying to gods he doesn't believe in. She looks so young…

He releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding as he feels a weak fluttering in her neck. Faint, so faint… but it's there. He's reaching for his sonic, hoping to figure out what's wrong with her and stabilize her before it's too late, when his fingers at her neck brush against metal, and a glint at her chest catches his attention.

He takes a sharp inhale of breath as he sees the small key dangling from a simple silver chain, half hidden by the neck of the woman's black t-shirt. Even though it's not the same kind of key he's using right now, there's no mistaking the unique energy signature emanating from it. This is a TARDIS key.

Hs eyes flash back to her face, widened in surprise. He hadn't taken the time to really look at her as he rushed to her side before, anxious as he was, but he studies her now. Honey blond hair, which he'd noticed before, darker roots faintly showing. Plump, full lips, round cheeks, smooth skin. _Pink and yellow_. The thought comes to him, unbidden. He shakes his head slightly. She's lovely, really lovely, but… he doesn't know her. He would certainly remember giving her a key to his home, in this incarnation or in previous ones. Which only leaves…

Of course. A future him. This must be why he's here. The only reason he could cross his timeline in such a way. The Time Lords must have sent him to help a future version of himself.

Although… why didn't they bother to tell him that? It would have made things rather clearer. He supposes the problem with the TARDIS impacted the Time Lords' ability to communicate with him. He can only hope that things will go better from this point on, albeit he's not optimistic about this. He has no idea where or when he is in his own personal future, or why he is here, his other self frustratingly absent, and his future companion all but stricken down…

This thought makes him start, his attention focusing back on the woman before him. Her pulse is still so weak that he is scared it will disappear entirely, and his hand is moving towards his pocket again, where his sonic screwdriver is, when a loud, rumbling noise interrupts him.

Is that he sound of… engines? Yes, definitely, a spaceship, not far from here. What sort of engines are they? He strains his ears, trying to pick up the subtle unique patterns such technology always exhibits, when it is suddenly covered by the unmistakable sound of gunfire.

He starts, shakes his head. Right. Unidentified aliens with spaceship technology, gunfire of unknown origin, potentially dangerous situation, injured companion. Not exactly the time and place to shilly-shally, nor to try and solve mysteries by himself. He carefully gathers the unconscious young woman in his arms and strides backs to the TARDIS.

* * *

It is only when he comes in sight of his ship that he realizes she might not be ready for him yet. She had seemed badly hurt when they landed, although he has no idea what could have caused it. He had been hoping to get the woman in his arms to the infirmary before attempting to locate his future self, but the thought that he might not even be able to _enter_ his ship makes him stop short.

His misgivings are answered when the doors to the TARDIS open widely on their own, as if she sensed his arrival and wants him to get in as quickly as possible. He wastes no time obeying her. He strides quickly inside, kicks the doors closed behind him and is about to take off towards the infirmary when he notices that the corridor leading away from the console room to the rest of the ship has disappeared.

"She's hurt," he addresses his ship. "I need the infirmary. Can't you manage that at least?"

He only gets a whimper of pain in reply, from his ship as well as the woman in his arms.

"Alright, alright," he mumbles, crossing the room to deposit the woman in his armchair. He turns back and marches to the console "A hospital then. I could at least get some equipment there, find out what's wrong. Now let's try and figure out where and when we are…"

His back is to the woman in the armchair, so he misses the golden glow that spreads over her body and engulfs her for a moment before fading. He is so concentrated on trying to make sense of the gibberish on the monitor that he doesn't take note of the swell of energy in the console room. It is only when the writings on the monitor finally snap back to Gallifreyan that he looks up at the time rotor, beaming.

"Ah, perfect! Feeling better, old girl?" The TARDIS sends him an uncertain thrum which makes him frown in worry. A beeping sound from the monitor snaps his eyes back to it. "London, twenty-first century. Hmm… Not too bad, could be better. Let's see, hospitals in London, familiar with alien technology… UNIT? They have a medical facility… Yes, that will have to do. Do you think you could manage a small jump in space?"

At the weak affirmative hum, he jumps into action, inputting coordinates and preparing them for flight. The TARDIS takes off amidst strained sounds and muted shakings, but manages to land shortly after. The Doctor strokes the console fondly for a moment, thanking her for the effort, before turning to the still unconscious woman slumped in his armchair. She has gained some colors back, he notices with satisfaction, and when he checks her pulse he finds it stronger than before. This is all very encouraging, but what he really wants is to get her under a scanner and find out what is wrong with her. He takes her in his arms gently, careful not to jostle her too much, and exits the TARDIS.

He almost drops her in surprise when he sees where they are.

"What…?"

The TARDIS has landed in the corner of a living room. In front of him is a comfortable-looking dark blue couch facing a television, a small coffee table in between. Further ahead he can see what is presumably the front door, framed with a few hanging coats and pairs of shoes. To the left, a hallway leads away from the living room. The whole area is bathed in fading afternoon light from the windows behind him.

He's landed in a flat.

His first thought, after the initial surprise, is to think how rude this is, landing in someone's home. His second, more rational, is to wonder how he got here. Wrong coordinates maybe? Or something still affecting the navigational system of the TARDIS?

The place is quiet and still, and it seems empty, which he is thankful for. His eyes roam over the place as he mulls over what to do next. Should he try to take off in the TARDIS again, risking another error like this? Or stay here, wherever this is, and try to get some help? He takes a few steps towards the couch, meaning to set the woman in his arms down on top of it to better consider his options. As he does so, his eyes fall on the small side table next to it. On it are a reading lamp, a book, and… a picture. A picture of the woman in his arms, smiling at the camera alongside an older blonde woman with a baby in her arms.

Oh.

It's _her_ flat.

And now he's more confused than ever, because this can't possibly have been an accident. This means that the TARDIS _wanted_ to bring them here, although why she did so is completely beyond him.

He takes in the area once again, looking at it with a new eye. With the exception of the picture on the side table, the room is very sparsely decorated. Everything in it is tidy and clean. It doesn't look much lived-in, and the room emanates a rather impersonal air. This surprises him. It's true that he doesn't know the woman in his arms, or not yet anyway, but he has the inexplicable feeling that this shouldn't be where she lives, that this is wrong.

He thinks… that she is the type of person whose personality should shine and touch everything around her.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he sets the woman down on the couch. Surely, if the TARDIS brought them here on purpose instead of in a medical facility, she must be out of immediate danger. Still, he kneels on the floor in front of her and takes out his sonic screwdriver. She looks much better. Her pulse is now strong, her breathing normal. She simply seems asleep. One more thing to puzzle over. What happened to her that she seemed close to dying when he found her, mere minutes ago, but had now almost completely healed from, without any medical attention?

Trying to crack this mystery, he scans her with the sonic. When he can't find anything conclusive, he changes the settings and scans her again. And again. He can feel some strange energy around her, made stranger by the fact that it seems almost familiar, although he can't quite figure out why. But he can't find anything with the limited resources he has, and he reluctantly gives up trying. He pauses, looking around once more.

Well. Since this is her flat, he might as well put her in her bed and let her rest comfortably. He takes her in his arms again and heads towards the hallway leading to the rest of the flat. He passes the kitchen and the bathroom, peeks inside a room to discover it is a workspace, a desk with a computer and scattered papers flanked by well-filled bookcases. He finally finds the bedroom as he reaches the furthest door of the hallway. In the center of the room thrones a large plush bed with a soft pink comforter. Another bookcase stands next to an armchair on one side of the bed. On the other side is a wardrobe. He sets the woman down on the bed and straightens up, hesitating as he contemplates the wardrobe. Maybe he should change her into pajamas: it would be more comfortable for her than the clothes she has on. The thought of undressing her, however, unnerves him. He frowns, trying to get rid of the sensation. He shouldn't feel this way. Yes, she is a lovely young woman, but he is above such things, above baser feelings like lust or sexual attraction. Nonetheless, the nervousness persists and, shaking his head, he decides against it, settling on simply removing her shoes and her jacket.

Once this is done he leaves the room, makes his way down the corridor and turns into the living room, intent on checking on the TARDIS. The sight from the windows freezes him in his steps. He had his back turned to them before, so he hadn't noticed it, but it's hard to miss now.

This is London, no doubt about it, except the London he remembers doesn't have quite so many zeppelins it its sky.

"What in the world…?" He closes his eyes for a second, exasperated by the strangeness of the situation. This whole adventure has been one perplexing surprise after another, and he wishes he could just understand…

The realization comes in a flash.

Parallel universe. Of course. This explains the strangeness in the air he's felt ever since he landed.

One mystery down, at least. Or, well…Really, this just adds more questions, doesn't it?

He sighs, turning away from the windows towards his ship. Time to locate his future self – he must be here somewhere, even if for some reason he can't sense him right now – and figure out what exactly is going on here.

* * *

An hour, thirteen minutes and twenty-six seconds later, the Doctor feels like banging his head on the console. He has gotten absolutely nowhere in his search for answers. He can't locate his future self, he can't communicate with the Time Lords, he can't even properly figure out where he is. He is beginning to doubt his previous assumption of being sent here to help a future incarnation. If this were the case, wouldn't he have received _some_ form of communication by now? And he really should be able to trace his future self in some way, but it's as if he's completely disappeared from this universe. But then, how to explain landing next to a future companion still carrying a TARDIS key? It would certainly be too much of a coincidence to be believable.

What's more, the TARDIS is being strangely uncooperative, and he suspects she has a hand in all of this. She seems to have recovered from whatever happened to her earlier, but she writes gibberish on the monitor, she is silent to his requests to open more rooms. And she refuses to leave, whether it is to go back to the warehouse or to UNIT, even if he promises it would only be a quick trip there and back to gather some information.

He considers leaving by the front door - nothing she could do to stop him, then - but hesitates to leave the unconscious woman alone. Without the TARDIS, he can't leave and be back a second later, and he doesn't want to risk her condition deteriorating without him being there. He can still remember how faint her pulse was, how close to death she looked. He doesn't trust her sudden and unexplained recovery, and he doesn't want to risk anything happening to her. In the end, he walks back to her bedroom, scours her bookcase for an interesting title – Dickens, how delightful - and settles in the chair next to her bed with a sigh.

Fine. The TARDIS wins. He'll stay here like a good boy and wait for the mysterious companion to wake up.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** **This chapter has given me so much trouble. You know how sometimes the characters refuse to act like you want them to, and decide to go in a completely different direction? And when you try to force them to do what you want, it comes out completely wrong and artificial, so in the end you give up and let them do what they want? Yeah, that's what happened to me... Anyway, I'll stop agonizing over this chapter and post it now, because I want to keep my more or less once a week update schedule. Hope you like it!**

* * *

Rose emerges slowly from sleep, eyes still closed, unwilling to part with the fading remnants of her dream. It was about the Doctor again, as they often are. Her dreams are almost always the same, a variation on a theme.

The sound of the TARDIS would reach her ears, first, and she would drop everything to rush towards it. Heart hammering, she would watch the ship appear in front of her eyes, this magnificent blue box carrying her home and her heart. The setting would not always be the same: she could be in her bedroom, her parents' sitting room, her office at Torchwood, even sometimes in the field during one of her missions. Wherever she was, she would reach the doors at the same time as they would open, the Doctor appearing on the threshold. Most times it would be her pinstriped Doctor, with his brilliant hair and dazzling smile. Other times it would be her first Doctor, all leather and piercing blue eyes and utterly _gorgeous_ as well. Regardless of the version of him, the progression would always be the same. They would fall into each other's arms, holding each other desperately. For a long moment they wouldn't move, simply breathing in the presence of the other, but then their eyes would meet. He would lower his head at the same time as she would tilt up hers, and their mouths would meet, finally. The kiss would start gentle, but then a tongue would flick out to caress lips, and she would moan, or he would groan, and it would suddenly turn passionate. When her dreams happened in her bedroom, or even in her Torchwood office, hands would start roaming, clothes would disappear, and…

Those are her favorite dreams.

She smiles, eyes still closed, as she stretches her arms above her head. It had been different, this time, more of a blur, but she remembers his touch, his smell, the sound of the TARDIS. The presence of the ship still lingers in her mind and she burrows further in her bed, unwilling to let it go.

A quiet rustling of fabric at her side pops her sleepy bubble, and she opens her eyes with a start.

Sitting in the armchair next to her bed is a man. A strange man with long chestnut curls and deep blue-grey eyes, dressed in odd period clothes.

She stares at him in confusion for a moment, her mind still muddled from sleep, before her wits snap back in place. Her Torchwood training kicks in as she rolls off the other side of the bed and stands up, her body tense and ready to react.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

The stranger stands up slowly, hands raised in a soothing gesture.

"Don't worry, I mean no harm. I'm a friend."

Rose narrows her eyes at him, studying him more closely. "A friend? I don't even know you."

"Yes, you do, you know me well, although not _this_ me_._" He pauses and smiles at her, eyes full of warmth. "I'm the Doctor."

This completely unexpected statement knocks the breath out of her, and she takes an involuntary step back, eyes wide in astonishment, her heart beating painfully fast.

"What?" she manages to breathe out.

"It's the truth, I swear. Let me explain. You know me as someone else, but you see, there is this trick that Time Lords can do to cheat death, we can -"

"Change every cell in your body, same man, new face," she finishes in a whisper automatically, her mind blank.

"Yes, very good!" he exclaims, beaming at her. "You know about regeneration, then?"

"Yeah, I – I saw it happen, you had to explain it to me, after…"

She stop, takes a shaky breath. The shock of the man's statement has completely overwhelmed her and she closes her eyes for a moment, attempting to regain her composure. Is it true? It occurs to her that it might be a lie, but what would he gain from it, and how could he even know about the Doctor? So very few do, in this universe.

But, if this _is_ the Doctor… Does this mean he has regenerated again? Her heart tugs painfully at the thought that she'll never see her pinstriped Doctor again. Then something occurs to her, and she opens her eyes, frowning. If this is the Doctor, why can't he remember regenerating _right in front of her_?

"Oh, I see," he replies, oblivious to her internal struggle. "You stayed with me through a regeneration then, very impressive." He appraises her for a moment before continuing. "Well, since you don't seem to know me, I assume you met me in a future body. I must say, I'm disappointed. It means _I_ won't get to spend much time with you." He flashes her a smile, but her mind is reeling too much to take note. _Future body_? Then… then this means…

He must have seen a look of understanding dawn in her eyes, because he nods and adds: "Yes, I am a past incarnation of both versions of the Doctor you know."

She wants to say something in response, but her heart seems to be lodged in her throat. She wants to move, but she's frozen in place. She swallows heavily, eyes locked on his. She watches him take a careful step towards her, then another, circling the bed between them. He stops a few feet from her, observing her intently.

"I saw your TARDIS key. Since I don't recall meeting you, or giving you a key to my ship, I must assume that you are a companion from my future."

Her hand shoots to the key hanging from a chain around her neck, and she wraps her fingers around it instinctively. She stares at him, letting his words sink in. Is she still dreaming? She doesn't think she is - her TARDIS key feels real around her fingers- and her dreams are never this strange. She looks into his eyes, the shade so different from piercing blue, or chocolate brown, but still beautiful, and she takes a step forward. She raises the hand not clutching her key slowly, tentatively, and presses it to his chest.

Underneath her fingers, a double heartbeat thrums steadily.

For the second time in a short few minutes, she feels all the air leave her body. It's him, it's _really him_. She stays still for a moment, her hand on his chest, the undeniably confirmation of his words beating against her palm.

"Doctor," she breathes out, before closing the distance and throwing her arms around him.

He feels solid against her, strong arms encircling her kindly, if a little awkwardly. She knows she shouldn't - he doesn't know her yet, she hasn't earned the right to _those_ arms - but she can't bring herself to let go. He feels a little different, smells a little different, but the essentials are the same: two hearts beating where her head rests against his chest; the scent of spices and tea, and of something so uniquely him that had stayed the same before, as well...

She releases him after a little while and steps back, her smile tremulous, unshed tears in her eyes.

"I – I'm sorry, I shouldn't have –"

"It's quite alright," he cuts her off. "I suspect you've had a rather difficult day, and it got the better of you."

Her smile widens gratefully as she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Yeah, you can say that again. More like a difficult few years –"

She stops abruptly, realizing who she is talking to. This is a _past_ Doctor, who knows next to nothing about her. How exactly did he get here, in this universe, in her _flat_?

"Doctor, how…why are you here?"

"Well, I'm not sure exactly," he replies, frowning. "The TARDIS was drifting peacefully in the vortex when she suddenly started shaking violently. She took flight by herself, and when she finally landed, it was in an old dusty building where I found you, unconscious. I brought you back to the TARDIS, but she was too weak to open the infirmary, so she brought us here instead. I waited for you to regain consciousness, and here we are now."

He looks at her quizzically as he finishes his explanation, but she can only gape at him. The earlier events of the day have only just come back to her. She remembers, now: the mission, the warehouse, leading out prisoners, aliens rushing in behind them. She recalls firing her gun, stunning one, but getting caught unaware by another. She can almost feel the pain exploding inside her again, before everything turned black. The next thing she remembers is waking up in her bed. Or… wait – is it?

She frowns, straining to reach a fading memory. Warmth encompassing her whole body, and… singing? A hauntingly familiar air, but the melody evades her. Where had she heard it before?

The feel of a hand on her shoulder stirs her out of her musings. Her thoughts must have shown on her face, judging by the look of concern on the Doctor's face.

"Are you alright? What happened to you?"

"I'm fine," she replies absently. The feeling of his hand lightly stroking her shoulder is distracting her, but when he lets it drop after a few seconds she misses his touch. She takes a moment before continuing, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. "We were investigating strange noises and flashes of light near the warehouse. We split up to cover more ground, and I found human prisoners in this sort of big cage." She sees him open his mouth to interrupt her, but he seems to reconsider and closes it again without a word. She lets her eyes drift away from his face, over his shoulder, as she lets the memory of the day wash over her.

"Three prisoners, one of them a little girl, no older than ten… They told me there was a fourth missing, but I couldn't leave them there to go look for him. I freed them and started leading them out, but… the kidnappers had heard us, and suddenly they caught up with us. Started shooting, so I stayed behind to hold them back. I saw them, then, they were – some kind of aliens, never met that race before. One of them caught me by surprise. He shot me, and I –"

"Shot you!" he cuts her off. Her eyes snap back to his. He is staring at her in alarm.

"Yeah, by some kind of energy weapon. Must have been a stunner, although it hurt a lot more than any I've ever been shot with. The next thing I remember is waking up here."

"What, do you make a habit of getting shot by stunners?" he asks, astonished.

She shrugs with one shoulder, ignoring his concern. "Anyway, I'm fine now, Doctor. What we need to do is find out what –"

"You're_ fine_? Are you serious? I didn't tell you this before, but when I found you, you were barely alive! No, no, I need to figure out what happened to you. "

"Doctor, I'm _alright_. You can see that for yourself. Right now, it's more important to find out what happened to the prisoners and save them if we can."

He sighs and runs a hand over his face, into his hair. The gesture reminds her so much of her pinstriped Doctor that she feels a pang of longing at the sight.

"Alright, fine. We'll focus on that first. But afterwards, I want you under a scanner, understood?"

She nods, smiling brightly. He said '_we'll _focus on that' and her heart warms at the thought of a new adventure with the Doctor, whichever version he is.

"Good. Now tell me, what did these aliens look like?"

She describes them as well as she can from what she remembers from that adrenaline-fuelled moment. Humanoid, long slim limbs, almost translucent blue skin. Flat nose, long fingers, somewhat reptilian eyes. Fluid movements. Fast runners. She describes their gun as well, and what it felt like when she got shot, ignoring his renewed look of concern at her words.

He starts pacing as she talks, and when she is done she falls silent, watching him. With the shock of the last few minutes, she hadn't taken the time to really look at him, but with his attention now focused elsewhere she can't help but stare at him.

He's… stunning. Sensuous lips, beautiful eyes. She has an itch to sink her fingers into his hair and tug on those curls of his. All of those layers can't hide his slim and fit body, and she finds herself imagining him without them, like she used to with the other two versions of him.

His voice startles her out of her thoughts and she sees him looking at her expectantly. She blushes at having been caught staring and clears her throat, trying to get rid of the images he evoked in her mind.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said, I have an idea of what race they could be. Drazfins, probably. They're a peaceful race, however, so I'm a little surprised. But in any case, I should be able to scan for their spaceship using the TARDIS. If I'm correct, it should have left quite a unique radiation signature in its trail. We should be able to find out where they went."

"Great," Rose says, moving towards the door. "Then let's get to the TARDIS and -"

"Wait."

Surprised, she turns back towards him to see him looking at her inquisitively.

"Earlier, you said _we_. _We_ were investigating, _we_ split up. You were very unclear on who _we _is, however. So, tell me. Were you with the version of me you travel with? Where is he right now?"

She swallows nervously as she considers her answer. Of course he thinks she still travels with him. He saw the key, and it was a logical conclusion to draw. Should she tell him they have been forced apart, years ago? It would probably lead to many, _many_ more questions, and she's not sure now is the best time to have this conversation. When they _do _talk, she wants to do it properly, to take the time to explain. She's not sure he can help her, if he can bring her back, but she has to ask, at least. And will he agree to help her, considering how little he knows her right now?

As much as she would like to resolve those personal issues and have answers to her questions as soon as possible, she can't shy away from her responsibilities. She's a Torchwood operative, and a human life is at risk – possibly more than one.

And that brings her to her second dilemma. Should she tell him about Torchwood? She feels like this conversation would lead down the same path: how could she work for Torchwood in this universe and still travel with the Doctor in another? Besides, he would want her to contact her team, to find out from them what happened after she was knocked unconscious. She knows she should call them. She disappeared from the warehouse, after all, they must be worried. They probably think she was taken prisoner by the aliens. But… if she were to contact Mickey _now_, she would have to explain to him how she traveled from the warehouse to her flat, and… she's probably being selfish, but she doesn't want anyone to know about this Doctor, not yet. She doesn't want to have to deal with their questions and comments, not until she's had a chance to really talk to the Doctor herself, first.

All these thoughts rush quickly through her mind as she tries to decide on an answer.

"I was with some friends," she replies slowly, carefully choosing her words. "They left the building before me. I wasn't with you – future you I mean. You're… not here, right now."

It's not a lie, not exactly, but it's not really the truth either, and she can see that he knows it. He is watching intensely, as if he's staring right through her and trying to read her very thoughts. She can see curiosity in his eyes, mixed in with a bit of wariness.

It devastates her to realize that he doesn't trust her, not completely. Of course, he has every right t. She's keeping so many things from him. About herself, and his own future, too. She's suddenly overcome by the wish that he could just _know_ her, this him, know every little detail of her like he used to – like he will, someday. Then she could… she could act like she always used to around him. She just wants to go over there and hug him again. She has an itch to reach out and take his hand into her own, because it feels so wrong for her hand to be empty when the Doctor is _right there _in front of her. She closes her eyes for a moment, frustrated. She doesn't know how she'll be able to contain herself around him. She'll certainly have to try if she doesn't want to scare him off.

When she opens her eyes again she sees that his look has softened, the wariness gone. He nods, accepting her words with a gentle smile on his lips.

"Fair enough. Now, one more thing."

Rose tenses again at his words. She doesn't want to lie to him again. She doesn't think she could. She watches as he steps closer, gently reaching for her hand.

"I'm sorry, I've been very rude. In all the commotion, I forgot to ask your name."

All the tension leaves her body. That she can tell him, at least. She's about to answer when a memory from a lifetime ago flashes in her mind.

"_I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"_

"_Rose."_

"_Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!"_

Oh God. When they met, back when he wore leather, all those years ago, he didn't know her. But he's met her _now_. Is this a paradox? Or has this changed everything? Will this meeting, years and years before its time, alter what her life has been with him? If _this_ him learns that they will be separated, that she will be torn from her original universe, away from him, will he still ask her to come with him, in his future body?

Or will he try to avoid her, and die at the hands of the Nestene Consciousness?

He must have sensed her rising panic. He squeezes her hand, frowning in concern.

"What's the matter?"

She takes a deep shaky breath, trying to control herself. Her memories are intact, and she's still there, isn't she? Then nothing horrible has happened yet, they can still fix this.

"Doctor, when you met me, all those years ago – or years from now, I guess – you didn't know me. But you've met me _now_. Will this… Will this change anything?"

He looks surprised by her words for a moment, but then he beams at her, an enthusiastic smile that illuminates his whole face.

"Very good! Not many people would think to worry about the stability of the timeline, I'm impressed!"

He keeps smiling at her, clearly excited at the prospect. This helps soothe her worry a little. It can't be _too_ dire if he's that happy about it.

"Well, I am pretty good!" she replies, a tentative grin forming in response to his contagious one.

"I'll say! I'm starting to understand why I asked you to travel me! But on that subject – no, it's not a problem. Don't worry. I can bury the memory of you in my mind when we part, until it's safe to remember it again."

She nods, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well then. I'm Rose, Rose Tyler."

"Nice to meet you, Rose Tyler," he replies, smiling at her.

Her name rolls off his tongue in the same way it used to, like he's savouring each syllable. It's such a blatant reminder that he's still him, the same man she loves, that it takes everything she has to keep from launching herself into his arms. She settles on smiling brightly, her tongue poking out of her mouth like she used to do when she was teasing him. She sees with satisfaction his eyes flit to it for a second before returning to hers.

"Well," he says, clearing his throat. "Come one then, Rose Tyler. The TARDIS awaits in the living room."

She grins happily and leads the way out of the bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm sorry, I said I was aiming for once a week, so this chapter is a little late... But I hope it will be worth the wait! Also, a big thanks to my new beta!  
**

* * *

She is a mystery, this lovely young woman. He knows that before she even wakes up. The very room he is sitting in puzzles him, because it means a future companion of his lives in another universe. She even has family there, if the picture in the living room is anything to go by, since it is quite clearly her mother with her in that picture. Did the woman decide to travel with him despite the fact that this would mean leaving her own universe behind? It has happened before, of course – he will never forget C'rizz – but it is usually a rather rare occurrence. And if this is the answer… why are they back in her universe now? And _where is the future version of himself_? He has taken a book to pass the time by her side, but he finds himself reading very little, pondering these mysteries instead.

He can tell the moment she wakes up. He senses vague projections and feelings emanating from her, buzzing at the edge of his consciousness as she emerges from sleep, and this, _this_, is another mystery. She must be a rather extraordinary woman because, as far as he knows, there has never been a telepathic human before her.

She is making no attempt to control her telepathy, and he wonders if this is because she is not fully awake, or if she is simply not aware of her capabilities. But surely the future version of himself would have noticed, and taught her to control it?

He tries not to listen to what she is projecting, because that would just be rude, but he can't help the feelings of warmth, contentment, love and longing that seep into his mind from the woman on the bed, an unexpected mix that takes him by surprise and makes him shift nervously in his seat. He can tell that she has heard his movement as the feelings withdraw abruptly and her eyes fly open. He watches as she stares blankly at him for a moment before rolling out of bed with fluidity and ease. He gets a new wave of feelings then – wariness, surprise, but no fear - which makes him raise his hands in a soothing gesture.

He can tell that she is in shock when he reveals who he is, surprise and disbelief radiating from her, mixed with a touch of suspicion. He also knows when she starts believing him, hope and joy slowly dissipating all other feelings – and, oh, she stayed with him through a regeneration? Really? That's remarkable. Not many companions can accept such changes.

When she places her hand between his hearts, he feels a pull inside him at her touch that takes him completely by surprise. When she hugs him, he quickly decides he needs to stop listening in on her telepathic projections. She's a whirlwind of feelings, this girl, threatening to drown him with them. He hurriedly erects a shield against her telepathy, feeling much better when everything is once again calm and rational in his mind.

This is when he notices the second extraordinary thing about her.

He can't see her timeline. Not at all.

This regeneration has a better time sense than most bodies he's had before, and he's used to the odd insight into the future of everyone he meets. That he sees nothing of hers is… unnerving for him. Is it because of some external influence, shielding it from him? If so, who or what is doing it, and why?

They exchange stories, and the mystery of the woman continues to increase. She was shot, close to dying, but she is now standing in front of him, perfectly fine. She is also being rather vague on certain elements of her story – who she was with, to start with. When he tries to ask for clarification, she hesitates, and gives an incredibly ambiguous answer.

Is she hiding something? Is she lying to him? He watches her intently, attempting to discern any sign of dishonesty in her features, but she closes her eyes, shutting herself off from his inspection. Frustrated and resolute to get an answer, he lets his mental shield slip a little. He senses her feelings instantly – hesitancy, frustration, sadness, longing. No trace of deceit.

He is warmed by the knowledge that she is being truthful. Oh, she is hiding something, most definitely, and he wants to learn what it is - he loves a good mystery - but she is not lying to him at least. He already feels an attachment to the young woman - the echo of future companionship, no doubt - and he would hate to think badly of her. He decides to let the subject drop, at least for the moment, and ask for her name.

When she reveals her fear, he is surprised and pleased by her insight. Non-linear time is usually so difficult to understand to those without a time sense. He attempts to reassure her - it has become an essential skill in his life to suppress memories - but she is wise to be careful. Better not to tempt him more than necessary.

In any case, the lovely Rose Tyler has presented him with an adventure, and after being forced to wait for the past few hours he is eager to finally see some action. He follows her out of the bedroom and down the corridor.

He hears her gasp quietly as she stops on the threshold of the living room. He steps besides her, intrigued, to see her staring at the TARDIS, delight mixing with tears in her eyes. She breathes once, twice, and then rushes to the door. He watches her pull out her key, unlock the door and disappear inside, and he finally follows her.

He is astonished by what he sees when he reaches his ship. Rose is standing by the console, stroking it and whispering quiet words, as if greeting an old friend. What surprises him even more is how the TARDIS is responding, humming waves upon waves of happiness and affection at the woman. He has seen the TARDIS get along well with companions before, but… not like this.

Both the TARDIS and Rose seem immersed in their own little bubble, nothing existing but each other as he observes by the door. Curious, he eases off his mental barrier, and another surprise awaits him. Rose is sending back waves of love and happiness to the TARDIS as she turns in a wide circle to take in the cavernous console room. Someone other than him communicating telepathically with his ship is unheard of. It makes his breath catch, but he he's unsure how exactly he feels about it.

As she completes her turn her eyes fall on him and she smiles, a wide, bright, beautiful smile.

"She's so different from what I know. But she's still as gorgeous as ever."

He beams back, pleased at her words. Well, at least that definitely settles it. She can't be a liar, or a deceiver, or a corrupt companion if the TARDIS loves her hat much.

"Yes, she is, isn't she? The most beautiful ship in the universe."

The TARDIS thrums in pleasure at his words, and Rose lets out a cheerful laugh.

"Come on then, Doctor. Let's see if we can find these aliens."

"Yes, hopefully the ship will be more cooperative _now_ than she was while you were sleeping," he replies wryly as he steps up to the console.

"I'm sure she will. She probably just didn't want you swanning off without me."

He hums vaguely in response, and begins initializing the scan, letting his thoughts wander. She is probably right, he realizes, now that he has seen how the TARDIS behaves with Rose. He _knew_ she had a hand in this. Landing close to Rose when she is knocked unconscious, bringing them to her flat of her own accord, interfering with any attempt to leave or gain information until she is awake… Somehow, whatever is happening here, he has the feeling the TARDIS is involved.

It doesn't take him very long to pinpoint the energy signature he's looking for. The Drazfins have tried to hide it, but it's an easy task for him to unscramble the signal and track its trail. The aliens have landed again, and he has the location.

"Haha! I've got you! Rose, I know where – " he begins, turning towards where he thinks the woman is. He is aware that she moved away while he was working, but he though she had simply settled in one of the armchairs in the console room. Instead he finds himself alone, the room empty.

He does notice, however, that the doorway leading to the rest of the ship has reappeared. He strides through it and down the short corridor to see that the kitchen has popped back, and that Rose Tyler is currently sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea, staring into space, a frown on her face.

Oh, _of course_. When he begs the TARDIS to bring rooms back, she completely ignores him, but when _Rose Tyler_ wants some tea… He's starting to think his ship likes this woman better than him.

The TARDIS sends a wave of amusement at his annoyance, and Rose raises her head towards him.

"Oh, you're here! I didn't hear you come in. Sorry, I fancied a cuppa while I waited for you to finish the scan."

"It's quite alright. The scan is done, actually."

"Really? That was fast."

"Yes, well, as you predicted, the TARDIS was a lot more cooperative this time around." He sighs in mock annoyance, and is rewarded by her large smile. He grins in return.

"In any case, I discovered that the Drazfins have landed again. They tried to hide their ship's energy signature, but they were no match for me."

"Oh, obviously," she replies, amused, as she moves to stand up from her seat.

"I didn't mean to rush you. You can finish your tea first, if you want."

Rose shakes her head as she moves towards him. "No, let's go now, I'm ready!" she assures him.

Her step has an enthusiastic bounce to it, and he realizes she is as eager for adventure as he is.

"Very well then, Rose Tyler. Shall we?"

He offers her his arm, and she takes it with a small laugh. Together they walk back to the control room.

* * *

They are both standing by the console as the Doctor analyzes the result of the scan.

"Alright, let's see… where are they?" The monitor beeps and he pauses, parsing through the information that has appeared. "Hmm. Not in London anymore. Nowhere near any town, actually. It would seem they have landed in Yorkshire."

"Yorkshire? What are they doing there?"

"Hiding, possibly. Right, I'll land us a hundred meters or so away from their ship, to ensure they're not aware of our presence. Ready?"

Rose nods excitedly, and he starts the dematerialization sequence, darting around the console to tweak controls and twist dials. They land a second later with a jolt that projects them both to the ground. He is back on his feet first, offering a hand up to a laughing Rose.

"Every single time, Doctor. Oh, I missed this," she says with a wide smile. She bounds to the doors, looking over her shoulders. "Coming?"

She pushes the doors open without waiting for him, and he hurries after her as she steps outside. They are standing in the middle of a wide clearing. The area is devoid of activity, the world around them completely silent. In the dying light of sunset, they can see an old two-storey house some distance in front of them. It has the cold and dejected air of long-uninhabited dwellings, paint washed away by seasons, every window boarded up, decaying fence and overgrown vegetation surrounding it.

"Is this where they are?" Rose asks quietly. "I don't see their ship."

"It's probably cloaked. The scan was positive: the energy signature ended right in front of us."

She nods, and they start their trek towards the house.

"Doctor, tell me about these Drazfins," she enquires as they walk.

"I don't know very much about them. The few times I met them, they were rather peaceful, as I said. Technologically advanced, but very reserved, so they don't travel a lot outside of their star system, which is incidentally not very far from Earth. They're not exactly keen on strangers, but they're not hostile to them, either. They were kind enough to help me when I landed there by accident that one time while I was tracking a strange energy signature that was interfering with the Automatic Drift Control. Funny thing, it turned out that they had built this – "

He stops talking as he notices Rose looking at him with a raised eyebrow and an amused look on her face. Ah. Was he rambling again? He clears his throat sheepishly.

"Well, that's not really relevant information right now. And here we are, anyway."

They have reached the fence encircling the house. They stop and crouch next to it, observing the building. The board on the main door has been torn down; they can see it lying on the floor besides the front steps. No light can be seen through the blocked windows, but they can hear faint sounds of activity coming from inside the house.

"Well, it looks like we have found our aliens. What do you think, Rose? Shall we try the front door?"

"Best not, Doctor. We should circle the house, see if we can find another way in." She starts moving, not waiting for his answer. He rushes after her, stopping her with a hand on her arm.

"We could try talking to them, you know."

She looks at him as though he has grown an extra head. "Doctor, they _shot_ me."

"Well, from what you told me, you shot them first."

"They had human prisoners! Look, the Drazfins may be all peaceful and friendly in our original universe, but it doesn't look that way here!"

She moves off again and he stares at her retreating form, dumbfounded. _Our_ original universe? He had come to the conclusion that this universe was hers, and that he had taken her as a companion after visiting here. After all, she has a home here, and family. It seemed he was wrong.

Every hint he gets, instead of clarifying her story, only adds to her mystery. And he's always been drawn to the unknown.

He hears her voice softly calling his name, and he hurries after her. She is crouched again when he catches up, looking at a small basement window.

"Look there," she whispers. "The wood of the board is all rotten. I bet we could pry it off easily."

He nods, and they set to their task. Soon it is off, and they discover that the window itself has already been broken. The room below is completely dark and silent.

The Doctor reaches into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver and, adjusting the settings, illuminates the space. From what he can see, the room is empty save for a few scattered pieces of rotten, dusty furniture.

"Right, I'll go in first." He crawls over the threshold, twists himself around, and grips the edge of the window, mindful of the shards of glass remaining around the frame. He starts easing himself down and, when he can go no further, drops the short distance to the ground. He gains his footing rapidly and surveys the room a second time. It's dirty and unfinished, most likely formerly used as a storage area, but there's definitely no one lurking in shadows, and he can see an old staircase leading up to the rest of the house.

"Alright, Rose. You can come down."

He watches her appear over the edge, mimicking his own descent. When she starts easing herself down, he steps up and places his hands on her waist to help her. She gasps at his touch, losing her grip, but he stops her fall, holding her firmly to him.

She's warm, and so soft, that he freezes for a moment. His face is at the curve of her neck, her hair caressing his face, and her scent is intoxicating. He comes back to his senses abruptly as he feels her heartbeat increase, her skin start to flush. He sets her down on the floor and steps back quickly. He's at a loss for what to say, or what to think. He has no idea what just happened. Before he has time to react, Rose clears her throat and turns around, scanning the room, visibly avoiding his eyes.

"Right. There's a staircase, over there. Let's see if we can slip upstairs unnoticed."

She strides towards it immediately, and he follows numbly. He needs… he needs to set this aside, to focus on the present situation. Maybe his shields have slipped, and he was affected by her own emotions. He concentrates for a moment, compartmentalizing, reinforcing his mental barriers, before finally regaining his rational mind. He slides in next to her at the top of the stairs feeling like himself once more.

The door at the top of the stairs is firmly closed. He can hear movement upstairs, fragments of voices, but nothing distinct enough to understand what is being said, even with his superior hearing. He reaches for the doorknob and looks towards Rose, motioning to stay quiet. She nods, and he starts turning the handle painstakingly slowly.

When it can't turn any more, he waits one heartbeats, two, then pushes the door a few inches. It moves with a terrifying squeak, and he stills immediately, waiting with bated breath for the sound of footsteps that doesn't come. The opened door does let in more sound than before, however, the voices reaching them much more distinctly than before.

"What's the matter?" drifts in one voice. It has a strange echoing character to it which the Doctor immediately recognizes as Drazfinian in origin.

"I thought I heard something," answers a second voice. This one is lighter, with the singing quality to it indicative of a female Drazfin. "But never mind. Must have been the boss walking upstairs. This house creaks like crazy."

"Hmm. Here, help me move him."

A pause.

"Right. Strap him while I reconnect the monitor."

There is silence for a long minute. "What's taking them so long?" wonders the first voice.

It is followed almost immediately by the sound of a door opening and closing hurriedly.

"Czif, there you are, finally!" he exclaims. "Everything alright?"

"No, it's not. It's really not," a third voice, female again, answers in a panicked tone. " We're in trouble, Ariz. Where's the boss?"

"Upstairs," replies the one named Ariz. "Why? What's happened?"

"It's the… Well, we had to pack up so quickly, there wasn't time to gather everything. And we _had_ to take those results, we just couldn't redo the whole thing. And the extractor, we couldn't leave it. And –"

"Just tell us, Czif."

"We… we didn't have time to take all of the capsules that were in the lab. I thought – I thought we had a lot more left unpacked in the ship, but…"

"Oh no. How much of it have we left?"

"Enough for a week, maybe, if - if we ration..."

"Damn, that's not enough time," curses Ariz, stricken. "Firzian, we have to tell him."

"Well I'm not going up there by myself," the second voice – Firzian – replies. "Come on, all of you. Let's get this over with."

The sound of three footsteps going up a staircase reaches them before fading away. Silence falls again. After a few moments, the Doctor turns to Rose.

"Well, this was very interesting, but I'm rather itching for some visual information. Shall we go have a look?"

She nods, and he quickly opens the door the rest of the way. It creaks loudly again, but just as before no one comes rushing at the sound. The staircase opens into a dim and dusty corridor, and he turns to the right, leading the way towards where the voices had come from, Rose following a few paces behind him.

He stops when he reaches what probably used to be the living room area. Unlike the rest of the rooms, it has been cleaned and debris cleared away. To one side is the front door, and in front of it a staircase leads up to the second floor, from which he can hear echoes of voices reaching them. In one corner of the room is what looks to be a generator, a tangle of wires running from it to different machines placed around the room. And in the center…

In the center is a young man, possibly no more than twenty years old, strapped to an examination table. Tubes and catheters connect his arms and chest to bags of solution and electronic equipment.

He exclaims quietly and rushes over to him, sonic screwdriver out in his hand in a second. He hears Rose curse behind him as she steps in turn into the room and hurries over to the man. He performs a quick scan with the sonic, only slightly appeased by the results.

"He was knocked unconscious by something remarkably similar to morphine. Other than that, he's… weak, but not in immediate danger."

Rose nods before moving towards one of the straps holding down the poor man, working to set him free. He's about to step to the other side to help her in this task when something in his field of vision catches his eye.

Empty test tubes, well plates and pipettes sit on a table next to Erlenmeyer flasks, burners and funnels. He looks around the room with more attention than before, taking in the various alien equipment and devices. Microscope, biochemical analyzer, centrifuge, incubator… Flasks of chemicals have been set on a table off to the side, and his eyes scan the labels, trying to form a complete picture by piecing together what he has heard and what he's seeing.

"Doctor, a little help here. " Rose's voice stirs him from his musings. She has finished freeing the captive from the straps, but is now looking dubiously at the tubes inserted into the man's body. "I'm not sure if I can just yank those off."

He's about to answer her when the front door opens and closes rapidly, and another of the aliens comes rushing into the room, his arms full of empty glass beakers. He freezes when he sees them, and in his surprise his grip slackens, a beaker falling and shattering loudly on the ground.

Before either the Doctor or Rose can react, the sound of footsteps rush in from upstairs, and four Drazfins come hurtling down the stairs.

"Kaf, what happen – oh!"

They all stop on the stairs momentarily, surprised, before the tallest of them advances on them menacingly, pushing the others out of the way.

"Who are you? How did you find us?" he asks in an authoritative voice.

'Ah, hello to you, too. I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose. What's your name?"

"I ask the questions here. _How did you find us_?"

"Well, your ship leaves quite the unique energy signature, on this planet especially. Granted, you tried to hide it, but not well enough, I fear."

At his words, the alien addressing them – clearly the _boss_ they had mentioned before – turns to the one that has just entered the house, wide-eyed and hands still full of glassware.

"Kafazn, I thought you told me no one could track us," he growls. The Drazfin in question flinches, shaking visibly in fear.

"I – I – they shouldn't have been able to, I swear, I –"

"Ah, no, don't blame him, it's not his fault," the Doctor assures soothingly. "I'm just really, _really_ good."

The leader's head snaps back to him, eyes narrowed.

"Oh, are you? Not good enough to know when to avoid trouble, apparently."

The Doctor hums in agreement. "No, never could master that particular skill. It makes for an interesting life, however. Rarely a dull moment. Look at right now, for example. I never would have expected to find an alien biogenetics lab in an old abandoned house in Yorkshire. Tell me, are you having any success replicating the natural immunity of humans to the pathogen you're currently suffering from?"

A stunned silence greets this declaration. Rose is grinning at him, amusement in her eyes. He gives her a wide smile in return, waiting for the aliens to react. He notices one of them is looking oddly at his companion – Firzian or Czif, one of the females – but before he has time to ponder this, the leader recovers from his surprise.

"How do you know that?"

"It's quite obvious, really, when one pays attention. The lab equipment, the human test subject. And then the chemicals, clear antiviral agents: synthetic ribozyme, receptor antagonist, protease inhibitor, to name only a few."

He pauses a moment, enjoying the effect of his words on the Drazfins assembled before him. They are all silent - he has astonished them anew - so he continues.

"Also, taking a good look at you, you all appear a little… sick. No offense. Now," he adds, clapping his hands, "you can keep going as you currently are – getting progressively sicker as you perform tests on this human boy – or you can let me help you, and get this done much more quickly and efficiently."

The leader's jaw works silently, as if he wants to say something but doesn't quite know what. The other four Drazfins look at each other, uncertain, not daring to speak. Even Rose seems gobsmacked by this particular declaration of his.

"Well, what do you say? This is a rather good offer, if I do say so myself."

This finally gets the leader speaking.

"Why would you help us?"

"Oh, I'm just generally nice. I don't like seeing people suffer. I can help you and that poor boy all at once, and we can all go our separate ways."

The tall Drazfin considers this for a moment, turning to look at his four companions. He finally turns back towards the Doctor, uncertainty written all over his face.

"We need to discuss this. Ariz, bring them to the cage, and guard them."

"Yes, sir."

Ariz takes the gun strapped around his back and motions with it towards the corridor. The Doctor places his hand on the small of Rose's back, intimating that she should follow without resistance as they are lead into another room at the back of the house.

Inside is another cage, similar to the one he had seen in that building where he found Rose, only smaller. _Probably didn't have time to pack the other one up before leaving_, he thinks wryly.

They get in the cage, and Ariz locks it after them, making sure it is secure before stepping back a few paces, watching them.

The Doctor settles down next to Rose, smiling at the look she gives him, which clearly says _you always get us locked up, Doctor._

_Well_, he muses._ It isn't a very good adventure if I don't get imprisoned at least once._

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought of the chapter with that nifty review button!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to the people who reviewed the last chapter, it helped motivate me to work on this one! I hope you enjoy it!**

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Even though she is more amused than annoyed at being locked up with the Doctor, she can't resist shooting him a dirty look. It had happened so often before, with both versions of him, that she had been convinced at the time that he actually enjoyed it. When the Doctor smirks back at her, clearly unbothered, Rose rolls her eyes but cannot contain a smile of amusement. He _is _enjoying this. She knew it. She really shouldn't have expected this Doctor to be any different from the two versions she knows.

She settles down on the ground for the wait, and he sits down next to her a few moments later. He seems lost in thought, so she stays quiet, closes her eyes, and tries to formulate a plan. Not that she doesn't trust the Doctor's plan, but… it can never hurt to have a back-up strategy. Her reflections are abruptly cut short when she feels the Doctor reach for her hand, intertwine their fingers and lightly stroke her skin. Her eyes fly open. He is still staring into space, probably not even conscious of the gesture, but she still can't help the way her heart beats faster at his touch. Her mind reverts back to that moment in the basement, when he held her to him. Her rational mind has been telling her ever since that he was simply preventing her from falling, but… didn't he hold her a second too long?

She recalls the feeling of his breath on her neck, and her body tingles anew. The ghost of his arms encircling her effortlessly still lingers on her skin, and she feels herself start to flush at the thought. She is attracted to him, there is no use denying that. She furtively glances at him, eyeing his brown curls, his strikingly handsome features. Yes, there is definite physical attraction.

But… is that the only thing she feels? She thinks about his enthusiasm at the prospect of adventure, his animation when he described his previous encounter with the Drazfins, the affection he showed towards the TARDIS. His wry humour, his intelligence, and the confident, smooth way he talked the Drazfins into doing exactly what he wanted them to.

Oh God. She is falling for him. For who he is now, not because of who he will become.

The realization crashes over her in an instant of insight and threatens to overwhelm her. She feels like she is about to burst, and she has the inexplicable urge to run away, or laugh hysterically, or grab the Doctor and snog him senseless. She certainly can't sit still a moment longer with him inches from her, still lightly stroking her hands. It's too much to bear.

She is saved by the arrival of a Drazfin striding in. She recognizes him as the leader of the group. Even though they are all tall, he is the most imposing of them, with thick, powerful limbs, his skin a darker shade of blue. She rises when she sees him enter the room, thankful for the distraction. His cold, calculating reptilian eyes remind her of a viper about to strike as he stops to appraise them.

"Ariz, open the cage," he addresses the guard abruptly, watching as he executes his order. "You, Doctor. We'll give you a chance to prove yourself. Come with me."

"With pleasure," he answers as he gets to his feet and walks to the door of their prison. Rose moves to follow, but the leader stops her.

"Not, not you. You're staying in here."

The Doctor halts before leaving the cage, looking at the Drazfin with suspicion in his eyes.

"May I ask why? Rose can help, too."

"She'll stay in the cage, to make sure you behave."

His eyes narrow at his words.

"There's no need for anything of the sort. I give you my word."

"That doesn't mean much to me, Doctor. I'd rather have a more… solid guarantee of your cooperation."

"If you mistreat her…" he warns, leaving his threat unspoken.

"We won't. She'll just stay here while you work. Now, come."

The Doctor turns back towards Rose, uncertain. She reaches for his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"It's alright, Doctor. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Just… go and impress them with your genius, yeah?"

He gives her a small smile and nods hesitatingly before finally walking out of the cage, which the guard immediately locks again.

Rose watches the Doctor disappear around the corner, escorted by the Drazfin leader. She has to wait again, then. And she has the feeling this will take a lot longer than the last time. Well, at least this will give her time to think about the feelings she has just discovered, and…

And nothing. There's nothing to contemplate here. He is the Doctor, and she loves him. Of course she does. She suspects that if she were to meet every single version of him, past or future, she would love them all.

But… she can't lie to herself, not every version of the Doctor would love her. One very simple reason for that is that they wouldn't know her. She would be a complete stranger, an uninteresting, ordinary human girl. And this version of him is no different. He doesn't know her. They haven't traveled together, haven't shared exciting adventures or kept each other's company in quiet moments. They haven't saved each other from life-threatening danger. They just haven't forged that connection she has with the other two Doctors. She can't make him fall in love with her. She has to get this into her head, and learn to control herself. He's her only chance of getting back where she belongs.

And it's not as though she hasn't had practice repressing her feelings for him in the past.

At some point in her musings she has started pacing, but now she sinks back down to the ground in a huff. There's nothing she can do about any of this now. She can only wait. She closes her eyes and tries to relax, but she feels restless. Who knows how long she will have to wait before that cure is complete? After that inner emotional storm, her mind can't calm down, and she feels like she can't just sit here all this time, alone, doing nothing.

_Well, not quite alone_, she thinks, opening her eyes to see the alien guard sitting on the ground, a bored expression on his face. She smiles as she remembers an adventure with her first Doctor and Jack, a long time ago. She had never gotten around to seducing the guard that day, and she doesn't really want to do so now, but maybe befriending him wouldn't be such a bad idea.

She clears her throat to get his attention, and gives him her best smile.

"Hi, Ariz, is it? I'm Rose. Nice to meet you!"

The guard shifts nervously at being addressed. He looks over his shoulder towards the doorway for a second, then back towards her.

"I – I probably shouldn't be talking to you."

"Well, what harm can it do? Here I am, all locked up, and here you are, forced to watch me with nothing else to do, for god knows how long," she argues. "Talking would help pass the time for both of us, at least."

"Well, I – I don't know…"

"If it makes you feel any better, we don't need to talk about anything related to what's happening here. We could talk about, um… Oh, I know! Tell me about your world. I'm sure that's not top secret, is it?"

Ariz gives a nervous laugh at her words.

"No, I mean – I guess not… What do you want to know?"

"Anything, really. I'm interested in where you come from, that's all. I just love visiting alien planets, learning about other cultures… meeting new people. Don't you?"

"I don't know," he replies, shrugging. "I haven't really had a chance to try. My people, we don't travel a lot."

"Oh, that's a shame. I used to be like that too, you know. Same old routine, every day. But then I met the Doctor, and he brought me to all sorts of wonderful places."

"Like what?" She seems to have piqued his interest as he is leans forward, all nervousness forgotten.

"Oh, I've seen things you wouldn't believe!" She pauses, searching for the most impressive planets she has visited. She feels a rush of enthusiasm engulf her as some of her favorite memories of her travels with the Doctor resurface, for once untainted by nostalgia and sadness.

"For instance… Imagine a world where the sea just froze in an instant, in the middle of a storm. Imagine walking on water turned to ice as far as the eye can see, underneath giant waves that will never crash down again…"

And she talks and talks, about the different places she visited, the different people she met. Ariz soon becomes enthralled by her stories, listening with rapt attention. He has an inquisitive mind, asking a myriad of questions about their adventures, his strange slitted eyes widening in wonder at her answers. His interest fuels her enthusiasm, too, as she gets carried away in her storytelling. It becomes less about befriending the guard, and more about sharing her experiences with him as she starts to genuinely enjoy his company.

She has just finished telling him about New Earth, applegrass and flying cars, and there is a lull in the conversation as she searches her memories for another interesting story to tell. Raxacoricofallapatorius, maybe? Or –

"You're lucky." Ariz's voice interrupts her contemplation. "I'll never get to visit all of these places, lead the kind of life you do."

_Did_, she corrects silently with a pang. "Well, why not?"

"In my world, we're not free to do as we like. We're all assigned a role, and we have to do as our faction tells us."

"You don't have any liberty or freedom of choice?" she asks, feeling indignant. She's also surprised. Didn't the Doctor say the Drazfins were a peaceful people? Surely he would have mentioned something like dictatorship over the entire population.

"Over certain things, yes. But we have to obey orders. It's easier this way, I guess, for everyone. More organized." He sounds uncertain, as if trying to convince himself. For Rose, this revelation explains something she had started to wonder about: why would a curious and kind man like Ariz be part of a team that abducts innocent people and experiments on them.

"Oh, so that's why you're here. You were ordered to be."

"Yes," he confirms in an unhappy tone. "They chose me because I am one of the least sick amongst my people. I'm just a normal soldier back home."

"Well, look on the bright side. You got to visit another world: planet Earth!" she says, smiling gently. "I'm only sorry it's not as interesting as some of the places I've told you about…"

"I like it though. From what I've seen, it seems nice. I only wish I could have come here under better circumstances." He gives her a sad smile, and she feels the sudden need to comfort him.

"But think about it, though. When the Doctor completes the cure – and trust me, he will – you get to come back home a hero. Everyone will be saved thanks to you and the rest of your team."

She expects him to cheer up at her words, but to her surprise they have the opposite effect.

"Not everyone," he replies darkly, staring at the ground. "A lot of people will still die."

"What? Why?"

He is silent for a long moment, and Rose gently calls his name. He raises his eyes to her, and she is struck by the sadness shining from them.

"On my planet, peace has always been… fragile between the three factions. And it got worse when people started getting sick. The leaders of my faction… when we come back, they won't share the cure with the other two. Or maybe they will, for a very high price, after the others have lost enough people and resources. This disease, that's killing my entire species… They only see it as their chance to take power."

* * *

As the Doctor is escorted back to the living-room-turned-laboratory, he tries to let go of his anxiety at leaving Rose alone in that cage. Sure, the leader has promised that no harm would come to her, but he's not so sure he can trust his word. After all, they have already shot her once… what is stopping them from doing so again while he is away working for them, ignorant of what they have done?

He knows it's probably unfair to the Drazfins to think that, but if they don't trust him, why should he trust them? They seem very different from the species he met in his own universe. Did something happen to make them deviate from the path of peace and prosperity they were on?

He shakes himself mentally to get rid of these thoughts. It's of no use thinking about this. If he can't trust the Drazfins, he should at least trust in Rose. She will find a way to keep herself safe while he is gone.

But he can't keep the image of her body lying on the ground of that warehouse from entering his mind. She had been so pale, so still. The complete opposite of the lively woman he now knows. Her laughter and her smiles have already become so dear to him, he couldn't bear it if he lost them now.

He steels his resolve as they reach their destination. He doesn't really have a choice at the moment, but he will try to think of a way to ensure her safety.

The other Drazfins are there – two of them huddled together over a monitor, the other sitting at the foot of the staircase, idly examining the gun in her hand. All three look up as they enter, their gazes lingering on the Doctor before turning to their leader when he starts speaking.

"Right, Doctor," he says. "As I said, we will give you a chance to prove yourself. Kafazn and Czifiran will bring you up to date, explain what's been discovered and attempted so far. I will come back in a few hours to see how everything is going. If they tell me no progress has been done..."

He pauses, letting his unspoken threat linger in the air for a few moments.

"Firzian will stand guard, so don't try to be clever and escape. You'd do well to remember that we have your mate in the cage, with Ariz standing guard."

"Yes, yes, very well," he answers impatiently, before realizing what has just been implied about his relationship with Rose. His first instinct is to correct it, but he stops himself. He will just let them think what they will. Maybe he can find a way to turn it to his advantage.

"Dzarn, about the capsules…" Czifiran pipes up hesitatingly before the leader – _Dzarn, so that's him name _– can turn away. "It was time for Kaf and me to take one, so I was wondering…"

"You know we don't have enough anymore to keep to the usual schedule. We'll all have to delay intake by a few hours between each dose, now."

"But… if we do that we'll get too weak to work," argues Kafazn. "You _know_ how it is to be off dose –"

"Look, what do you want me to say?" Dzarn snaps back, irritated. "You guys are the ones that didn't pack up the capsules when we left! We'll just have to deal with it!"

With those words he turns on his heels and walks up the stairs, barking at Firzian to keep her eyes open when he passes by her.

The Doctor watches with relief as Dzarn disappears down a corridor at the top of the stairs. He won't be making friends with this one. But maybe it's a good thing, he thinks as he sees uncertainty, fear and irritation playing in the eyes of Kafazn and Czifiran and directed at their leader. _That _can also work to his advantage.

He steps towards them, a warm smile on his face, and claps his hands eagerly.

"I take it you're the scientists here?" he asks, addressing them both.

They look at each other nervously before Kafazn nudges Czifiran forward.

"Yes, we are," she answers. "I'm Czif – Czifiran – and this is Kafazn."

"Call me Kaf," the Drazfin pipes up.

"Czif, Kaf, it's a pleasure to meet you. Now, why don't you catch me up on what you've been doing?"

They spend the better part of the next hour discussing the illness, its symptoms and its progression. They inform him that it is of unknown origin, although it is presumed to be from an unidentified off-world visitor. The moment they first discovered the infection, it was already too late, having spread to the entire population like wildfire.

They explain that the first symptoms are rather mild, mostly weakness and fatigue, which is the stage at which the members of this expedition are. They are followed by fever, nausea and muscle pain, from which they progress to cardiac and respiratory problems, followed by a complete annihilation of the immune system. Then, if the patient has not already died from those symptoms, dementia sets in. The progression rate of the disease varies in everyone, but so far, no one has been able to escape it.

They describe how the pathogen was first identified, show him the results of all the experiments done on it, all of their failed attempts to cure the infection. They have not been successful in eradicating it, but they did come up with a way of slowing down its progression and reducing the symptoms – a specific blend of chemicals that has been encapsulated for daily dosage.

This is what they now have to ration.

They pour over test results together, and while at first the two scientists were clearly nervous in his presence, they are soon talking with enthusiasm, eager to share their knowledge. The Doctor's interest is quickly caught, as it always is in scientific discussion, and soon he is engrossed in their work.

They bounce ideas off each other for the next few hours, discussing new approaches as they prepare cell lines and mix chemicals. The Drazfins being admittedly better at handling these delicate tasks, their long fingers and fluid movements allowing them unparalleled precision, the Doctor leaves them to it as he runs simulations and works on potential new theories. They get their first exciting breakthrough from one of the Doctor's suggested experiments: the pathogen has reacted to a mix of chemicals and radiation in a way they had never seen before. This success in the span of a few hours only is more than the Drazfins had ever achieved, and causes the interactions between the two scientists and the Doctor to shift. In their eyes, he is no longer a prisoner, but an authority, to be listened to and respected.

The enthusiasm that spreads after that discovery reaches even Firzian, the Drazfin keeping guard. When the Doctor asks her if he can examine the human captive still strapped to the table to ensure his well-being, she agrees without a single objection.

The human is still unconscious, and appears weaker than before. Frowning, he discreetly runs the sonic screwdriver over his body. He quickly hides it again when he notices Kaf approaching him.

"Is he alright?" he asks.

"For the moment, yes. It would be wise to get him to a hospital, however, as soon as possible. Since you no longer need him here, do you think it could be done?"

"We would have to ask Dzarn. He's the one in charge."

"Yes, I had that impression. He seems like a very pleasant fellow."

Kaf fidgets nervously, looking towards the stairs.

"Well, he's, um – he has a job to do, that's all."

"Yes, a job of kidnapping innocent people and putting them in cages. Tell me, why didn't you use diplomatic channels? I'm sure UNIT would have helped you in the face of such a widespread disease."

"It's not my place to decide those things," he replies, shaking his head. "I'm sorry we had to imprison humans, though. I – I didn't like it, but I had to obey orders. And we thought we needed them, to find the cure."

He is silent for a moment as he watches the Doctor check the man's vital signs again. He glances over to Firzian, who is sitting on the stairs, and towards Czif, who is staring at the monitor in deep concentration, before turning back to the Doctor.

"Your friend, Rose," he whispers. "Is she… Is she human?"

"Yes, of course," he answers, looking at him in surprise. "Why do you ask?"

"She was shot by Firzian, back where we were before. I know, I was there. Rose stunned Czif and I ducked into a room, but Firz was able to take her by surprise and shoot her."

"Yes, I know, Rose told me." He frowns, a feeling of dread washing over him, images of her lying on the ground appearing in his mind again. This is not something he needs to dwell on. "Why are you telling me this?"

"The weapon she was shot with… It's deadly. We've never encountered a species who could survive it before. And certainly not humans." Kaf pauses, looking away uneasily.

"Doctor, your friend should be dead."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm really sorry about the delay for this chapter, especially after that mini cliffhanger... It wasn't intentional, I swear! Anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for the wait!**

* * *

"_The weapon she was shot with… It's deadly. We've never encountered a species who could survive it before. And certainly not humans." Kaf pauses, looking away uneasily. _

"_Doctor, your friend should be dead."_

The Doctor could swear one of his hearts freezes in his chest at these words. He stills, a wave of dread washing over him, as he tries to make sense of the words he has just heard. Rose should be dead. The image of her lying on the floor, looking lifeless, refuses to leave his mind. She looked dead. He had thought she was dead, when he first saw her body. _She should be dead_.

"Are you sure about this?" he asks, his voice low and strained. "Absolutely, completely certain?"

"Yes, of course I am. I know what our own guns do. They're energy blasters, made to kill. And she was hit, I know she was, I ran past her – her body when we tried to catch the other prisoners…"

He almost growls at the word _body_, and Kaf flinches, looking down uncomfortably. The Doctor closes his eyes, trying to regain control of his temper. There has to be an explanation for this. Rose could tell him, he has to see her, Rose would know…

"Kaf, I need to – "

He falls silent as he hears the sound of footsteps from above, and seconds later Dzarn appears at the top of the staircase. Kaf steps quickly away from him, pretending to busy himself at a desk while the leader walks slowly down the stairs.

"Alright, tell me what's been done," Dzarn orders as he reaches the foot of the staircase. "Czifiran?"

"We've made some good progress," she answers nervously. "We explained everything to the Doctor, and he had some interesting suggestions. One of his ideas gave a very promising result: the pathogen regressed in cell cultures when submitted to a mix of carbon ions and beta particles in the presence of acidic Treflazin – "

"Spare me the technical jargon, please," he cuts her off impatiently. "So, what you're saying is he's not completely useless?"

"No. He's been very helpful."

"Has he tried anything suspicious?" he asks, addressing Firzian.

"No, sir. He's been behaving."

"Yes, I've been a good little boy, as promised. Now can we please move on from the unnecessary display of brutish authority?" the Doctor snaps, irritated. Still reeling from the shock of Kaf's words, he's not feeling particularly inclined to be patient, at the moment.

The only thing he wants is to get back to Rose. He needs to see her again, to reassure his frayed nerves that she is alive and well. And then… Then he will finally get some answers from her.

Dzarn turns towards him then, a sneer on his face.

"Keep quiet, Doctor. You'd do well to remember that you're a prisoner here, and act like one. Don't test my patience."

"You're making me lose mine," the Doctor mutters. Louder, he adds, "Look, I know you need me, so stop trying to pretend otherwise. It grows tiring."

"Fine, do what you're _needed_ for, then, and get back to work," he snaps back. He notices Czif and Kaf sharing a dubious look, and he clenches his jaw. "_What_?"

"Well… we really need to rest, Kaf and me," she pleads. "It's been a while since we last slept, and it's been a long and stressful day. We're getting too tired to work properly. I was just about to come up and tell you. We'll only make mistakes if we keep this up."

The leader seems to hesitate for a moment, and the Doctor senses the opportunity. They don't know who he is; they don't know he can go days without feeling the need to sleep. This is his chance.

"Yes, I agree. We should stop for the day. I need rest as well."

"You, don't start!" Dzarn barks, glaring at him.

"But it's true. I'm not human. My species has a rather small solar cycle, compared to Earth. I need to rest frequently, for a few hours at a time."

That seems to attract their attention.

"You're not human?" Kaf exclaims, surprised.

"No, I'm not. See?" He takes hold of the scientist's slim hand and places it over his chest, letting him feel his double heartbeat. The Drazfin's dark slitted eyes open wide in astonishment.

"Two hearts," he whispers, amazed.

Dzarn is watching the scene with increasing irritation mixed with grudging interest. "Alright, that's enough," he finally orders. "Alright, you win. You can all go to sleep. It'll be more efficient like this, anyway, all three of you working and resting at the same time. Czif, Kaf, go upstairs. Doctor, back in the cage." The Doctor pays little attention to the provocative sneer in the leader's voice. This is exactly what he wanted. Get to Rose. He needs to see her, _now_.

"Firzian, are you fine to keep watch by yourself?"

"Yes, I'm alright. I took a nap earlier today."

"Yes, I remember. That's why no one was watching those prisoners," he retorts, irritated. "No matter. Make sure everything stays quiet. You hear anything suspicious out there, let me know."

She nods, and the Doctor follows Dzarn down the corridor as Kaf and Czif disappear upstairs.

When they reach the cage room, the leader stops to talk to the guard there, but the Doctor only has eyes for the woman in front of him. Rose gets to her feet in her prison as they walk in, her eyes immediately focusing on his from across the room. She offers him a wide smile as he stares at her, the lovely one with her tongue poking out, and he can finally breathe a little better. She's here, she's safe, she's _alive_.

"Get in there." The commanding voice snaps him out of his reverie. The guard has left, and Dzarn is pointing to the inside of the open cage with the muzzle of a gun.

"Alright, no need to get touchy."

He steps inside the cage, and immediately Rose walks up to him and throws her arms around him in a hug, her face pressed to his neck. He returns it eagerly, wrapping her in his embrace, relishing in the thud of her heart against his chest, the feeling of her breath against his skin. She lets go to look into his eyes questioningly.

"Doctor, what – "

"There will be no talking," Dzarn cuts her off. He has closed the cage and locked it again, and now stands watching them a few feet from the bars. "You are here to sleep, so _sleep_."

The Doctor sighs in exasperation. He needs to talk to Rose. It's not enough to see her, he needs to _know_ what happened to her. The thought that she could have died before he ever knew her will haunt him until he does.

There's one possibility, though, he suddenly realizes. One way to communicate without the Drazfin being aware of it.

Telepathy. She's telepathic.

He sits down on the floor, and motions to Rose to do the same. She settles down next to him, although too far to be touching him. This is awkward. How should he go about doing this? She's an untrained telepath, by all appearances, and it would certainly be better if she knew what he was about to do. It would also help if he could establish this first contact through a touch to her temple. But how can he do so naturally, in a way that won't rouse Dzarn's suspicions?

_Oh_. Of course.

He thinks she's his mate, after all.

He touches Rose's shoulder to get her attention, and opens his arms wide when she turns to look at him. He motions for her to come, trying not to appear nervous. Will she understand his intentions? Has she done this before, with a future version of him? The telepathy, and… the snuggling?

He can see the moment she realizes what he wants her to do, the look in her eyes changing from confusion to surprise. She stares hesitatingly at him for a moment before scooting over towards him. She turns around into his embrace, settling sideways between his legs, her head pressed on his chest. He wraps his arms around her, carefully positioning a hand over her temple. Does she know what he's about to do? He tries to cast aside all doubts as he prepares to open a link between them. Dzarn's voice stops him, breaking his concentration.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The Doctor curses mentally. Surely the Drazfin doesn't know about their telepathic abilities? They're not a telepathic race, are they? No, certainly not.

"I'm simply holding my mate," he lies smoothly. "It helps me sleep. You won't refuse me that, at least?"

He can hear Rose inhale sharply at his words, and he tightens his arms around her to warn her against showing any reaction. Dzarn is still watching them closely, indecisive.

"Look, I'll sleep better if I can hold her, and I'll work better if I'm well rested. That's the only important thing to you, isn't it?"

"Fine," he concedes. "But don't think you can try to talk in whispers. I'll be listening."

"Don't worry. You can stare at my lips all you want, you won't see them move."

Dismissing the disagreeable man from his thoughts, the Doctor lays his head against the wall and closes his eyes, relaxing his hold on Rose. One of his arms lies across her back, his hand coming up to curl around her shoulder. The other rests on the side of her face, his fingers lightly touching her temple. He takes a moment to prepare himself, strengthening his mental shields. He's not sure what to expect. A telepathic human is unheard of, and he doesn't intend to establish a strong connection, communication necessitating only a superficial link, but judging by her intense and uncontrolled projections from earlier in the day, he thinks it wise to leave most of his defenses up. Taking a deep breath, he gently enters her mind.

The sensations that immediately assault him send him reeling in surprise.

Her mind is… incredible. He is only at the outskirts, and already he is blown away by the feeling of her. She is blinding light, fiery warmth, and strangely familiar, and like a moth to a flame he feels irresistibly drawn closer to her.

He could lose himself in her so easily, and the thought is strangely much more enticing than it is frightening.

Distantly, he feels Rose stiffen in his arms at the sensation of a foreign presence in her mind. It recalls him to himself, and he moves the arm on her shoulder to gently stroke her back in a soothing motion. He's here without her consent, he has to remember that, he has to…

Her presence enthralls him, and he struggles to regain some control of himself. He can sense her about to speak out loud in surprise, and it is finally enough to pull him away from her compelling aura.

"_Rose_," he whispers in her mind. "_Don't worry_, _it's me, it's only me. Don't make a sound, please._"

She complies, relaxing slightly in his arms, but her breathing is still shallow, her heartbeat hammering wildly against his chest.

"_I'm sorry I had to do this without asking you first, but I _had_ to talk to you. And with Dzarn watching us…_"

He waits a few moments for an answer that doesn't come. He senses her thoughts whirling through her mind, frantic and confused, but she still stays silent through their link.

"_Rose? Are you alright? Talk to me, please?_"

"_Doctor_?" she whispers timidly.

"_Yes, hello. Are you alright_?"

"_Yeah, I'm… What – How are you doing this?_"

"_Through a telepathic link. I'm a touch telepath._"

"_Yeah, I know, but I – I'm not…_"

"_Telepathic? Yes, you are. Weren't you aware of that?_"

"_No, I'm not, though. You – you would have told me, before, I'm sure you would. You never mentioned anything like that._"

"_Strange. Could it have developed recently? As far as I know, telepathy is an inborn trait, not an acquired one… Or maybe I'm just a rubbish telepath in my future bodies, and I didn't mention _your_ telepathy in order to not embarrass myself._"

His words trigger flashes of memories in her mind. He tries not to look, but he can't help the glimpses he catches – a fireplace, clockwork droids, a courtesan, and – is this France?

"_No, he was telepathic too. I mean, you will be. Believe me, I know._" She sounds somewhat annoyed at the memory, but before he can ask her about it she is speaking again.

"_Wait… how did you know I was telepathic, exactly_?"

"_I could tell immediately, when you woke up. You were projecting rather strongly._"

"_Projecting?_"

"_Emotions, mainly. Some thoughts, as well…_"

"_Oh God. You're reading my thoughts?_" He feels her attempts to pull away in alarm, but he keeps her firmly in place, scrambling to clarify his words.

"_No, no, no, don't worry, I haven't been listening in on you. I shielded myself from your projections the moment I perceived them. I respected your privacy._"

That isn't the absolute truth. He had put on defenses to avoid being overwhelmed by her overflowing emotions. He has also dropped them briefly to do exactly what she fears – listening in – but simply as an assurance of her honesty, to know that he could trust her. He feels slightly guilty now that he reflects back on it, but he had deemed it necessary at the time. No point in telling her that now, however.

"_Oh. Oh good. That's… good._ _Thank you._" He feels Rose relax once more, settling back into his embrace. They stay silent for a while as she adjusts to the telepathic connection between them, her presence in his mind gradually growing calmer as time passes.

"_Your mind is… incredible,_" she whispers in awe.

"_I could say the same about yours._"

"_No, no way. Your mind is so… vast. It's a whirlwind of knowledge, of experience, and yet it feels so… gentle. I can't explain it. It's amazing._"

He senses her exploring their link in curiosity, inadvertently entangling their minds further. The feeling makes him breathless. He stays silent, revelling in the connection between them, and after a beat she speaks again.

"_Doctor? I found out something I thought you might like to know._"

"_Yes?_"

"_I was talking with Ariz while you were away –_ "

"_Who's_ _Ariz? The guard?_"

"_Yes. He's actually rather nice. I was surprised, I expected – oh, I don't know, an unfeeling, aggressive alien. You know, since he's been abducting and caging up people. But that's not who he is._"

"_Yes, I believe you. The scientists aren't like that, either. Only their leader is, apparently._" At the mention of that particular Drazfin, he is reminded of his presence in the room with them. He opens his eyes by a fraction to see him leaning against the doorframe, watching them through the dim light of the room with a dark and mistrustful expression. He closes his eyes again.

"_Speaking of him,_ _he is still watching us, by the way. Try not to have any physical reaction to our conversation._"

"_Yeah, okay_," she agrees distractedly. "_Doctor, these Drazfins seem… very different from those you encountered before._"

"_Yes, I came to that same conclusion myself. What clued you in?_"

"_Well, as I started saying earlier… Ariz told me about this war, on their home planet. Three factions fighting one another for years, interspersed only by brief and unstable periods of peace._"

As much as it pains him to hear this, it doesn't really surprise him. Dzarn does seem to be rather… military in his manners.

"_Ah... Yes, that is undeniably different. Do you know what caused it?_"

"_No, he didn't say. Just…Doctor, this cure… Ariz told me the leaders of his faction don't want it to heal everybody. They want it for power over the other two._"

"_What?_"

To say that he _is_ surprised this time is an understatement. All of the work he had done, it was all for something like this? For domination over others?

He feels ire rise inside of him. They all _lied_ to him. _Everyone on our planet is dying_, they said. _Help us save our race_. The reality is entirely different. He is helping them win power, and leave the majority of the population to suffer.

"_This is… horrible!_"

"_Yeah, I agree. We're not going to let that happen though, are we? We could take the TARDIS to their planet once you find the cure, and distribute it to everyone there, don't you think?_"

He sighs, annoyed. She's right, of course, but that means he will work with the Czif and Kaf again in a few hours, pretending everything is fine, and that he doesn't know of their despicable plan.

"_Yes. Yes, you're right, we should. It's just… I'm having trouble believing it of Czif and Kaf. They both seemed so kind, so passionate about their work. _"

"_Well, they might not be to blame,_" Rose offers thoughtfully. "_They probably don't agree, or they might not even know about it. Ariz told me that on his planet, they don't get to decide what they are, what they do... They just follow the orders of their leaders. It doesn't excuse everything, of course, but… not everyone can be a hero on their own, you know?_"

_Not like you_ are the unspoken words lingering at the end of her statement, and he's grateful for the sentiment. He has to admit she has a point, even if he is still angry over her revelation.

"_You're right,_" he concedes. "_They didn't have much of a choice, I imagine. Maybe, if given one… they would not let their people die._"

"_Yes_, _I'm sure,_" she replies. "_You know what, I'll talk to Ariz tomorrow. He can help us figure out what to do. He seemed devastated by the situation._"

He hums his agreement, and they fall silent for a moment. He is still trying to erase the last of his anger as Rose speaks up again.

"_Doctor, don't you think… we could try to help, too, with the situation on their planet, I mean? Try to bring back peace? There's no point curing them only to let them die in a war, don't you think?_"

Her words fill him with unexpected warmth. What an amazing woman, able to show compassion and understanding even for a race that has imprisoned her and shown little regard for other human beings.

"_Yes, of course,_" he assures her. He drops his cheek to the top of her head, hiding the smile forming on his mouth. He takes a deep breath, inhaling her scent as the last of his anger finally drifts away.

She shifts slightly in his arms, moving so she fits more snugly against him. Her arms come up to hold him around the waist, her head settling down on top of one of his hearts, and a sigh of contentment escapes him. He shouldn't need to sleep for another day or two, but he thinks he could probably drift off here and now, with this lovely woman in his arms and in his mind.

Silence settles over them for several minutes. The connection between them is still open, and her presence envelops him in warmth and lulls him into a state of complete relaxation.

"_Doctor?_"

Her voice reaches him faintly through the comfortable haze that has settled over him.

"_Hmm?_"

"_Didn't you say you had to talk to me about something, before?_"

The reminder cuts through him like a blade. How could he have forgotten? The shining presence he is currently enjoying in his mind shouldn't exist anymore. It should have been cruelly ripped apart in an old dusty building, taken from him before he even knew she existed. _She should be dead._

Rose must have sense his horror and panic at these thoughts, as she grips his waist tighter and attempts to soothe him through their link. It's useless. His reawakened anxiety can't be stifled any longer.

"_Doctor, what is it?_ _What's the matter?_"

"_Rose, I need to know… Kaf told me something, about you, and about that gun…_"

He trails off, unsure how to begin. He wants some answers, wants to finally understand, but now that the time has come… If he's honest with himself, he's afraid of what he'll find.

"_About the gun? What gun?_"

"_The one you were shot with, in that building where I found you. Rose…_"

He takes a moment to choose his words carefully, but there's really no easy way to say this.

"_Rose, that gun was no stunner. It's an energy blaster, meant to kill. Kaf told me you caught a full blast of it, and that you shouldn't have…_"

"_Shouldn't have what?_" she prompts. He can hear the fear in her voice.

"_You shouldn't have survived. No one has ever lived through a full blast of it. Rose, you should be dead._" His words come out in a rushed, pained whisper, his attempts to deliver the news calmly to her utterly pointless.

She completely freezes at his words. She stays silent for a long moment, and he can feel the tension in her body, the chaos in her mind, confusion, fear and incredulity mixing and warring for dominance. He catches glimpses of jumbled thoughts as she recalls the dash through the corridor, the flash of fear as she hears the shot she hadn't seen coming, the pain of the energy wave surging through her body.

When she speaks again, it is in a small, uncertain voice.

"_But… I don't understand. I'm not dead, you can see that for yourself. I'm not _dead_._"

"_I know._" He takes a deep breath, forcing himself to regain some composure.

"_Then… Then what does it mean?_"

"_I was hoping you could tell me._"

"_What? How?_" she asks, upset. "_How should I know why I didn't _die_ today?_"

"_There _must_ be something you can tell me. And it's not just this… It's your telepathy, and your hidden timeline – It's all very unusual. Think back, try to remember… Something that happened this morning, or yesterday, or even further back. Something that could have affected you._"

"_I don't know!_" She sounds panicked, confused, and he realizes how poorly he is helping her through this. She needs to be comforted, not pushed.

He presses his head closer to the top of her head, nuzzling her hair, letting the hand resting across her back drop to her waist, encircling her tightly. He lowers his mental shields, letting reassurance and warmth flow over to her. After a while her frenzied mind calms down, soothed by his. They are silent for a long moment, both of them lost in thoughts. Rose suddenly inhales sharply, her body tensing once more.

"_Doctor, I think that – well, there was one thing that happened, a while ago. It was… definitely unique. But I'm not sure if it could have caused…_"

"_Tell me,_" he urges her gently.

"_I can't… go into too much detail, alright? There are some things you can't know, that would be too dangerous if you remembered, so… Don't ask me questions, please._" He hums in assent and she pauses, steeling herself to tell her story, or perhaps figuring out the edited version to tell.

"_Right... We were facing a powerful enemy, and, well, you thought we couldn't win. You wanted to keep me safe, and to keep the TARDIS from falling into their hands, so you – you lied to me, you tricked me into the TARDIS. Then you went outside under false pretences, you locked me in, and sent me back home._

As she talks her mind becomes agitated once again, emotions and images leaking to him through their link. At first he tries to shield himself against it, to avoid prying further, but he soon gives in, fascinated by her story. What enemies? How could he take the decision to separate himself from the TARDIS, his oldest friend? Why had he not asked for help from the Time Lords, if the situation was so dire?

He sees flashes of her memories: a large control room in a ship, a man – is that him? – talking animatedly. He watches through her eyes as she rushes to the doors of the TARDIS, the sound of the dematerializing ship whirring loudly. He is overwhelmed by her panic, her despair, her anger.

"_I wasn't… very happy about it. I wasn't about to let you die, all on your own, while I was tucked away safely at home. I was going to do everything I could to get back to you. But… I didn't know how to pilot the TARDIS, and I didn't have a whole lot of options, so I – I pried open a panel and looked into her heart._"

"_You did what?_" he exclaims, incredulous.

"_I had seen it happen before, to someone else, another enemy, and you said – you said it had granted her heart's desire. Well, my heart's desire was to save you, so I figured it would work._"

He is almost shaking under the strain of keeping still. He wants to raise her head up to him, to look her in the eye and shout how foolhardy of an idea this was, or maybe praise her for her courage, for not abandoning him to die. He feels her own emotions intensely as well, her anguish over his fate, her refusal to stand by and let it happen, and another feeling which permeates it all, powerful, warm and all-consuming, directed at him – at his future self, that he can't quite identify. She speaks again, diverting his attention away.

"_Things get a bit fuzzy after that. I remember blinding golden light, and singing, in my head… You explained a little what happened, afterwards, but you never really wanted to talk about it. Apparently I – I had the vortex running in my head, and I defeated our enemies with it. It was hurting me, though, so you took it out of me, and… well, that's it._"

He takes a moment to absorb it all as she finishes her story. Her emotions finally quiet down and ebb away, leaving him free to think rationally about this, but all he can feel is awe. This incredible woman risked her life to save his, without the slightest hesitation, and is talking about it as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

He can tell there is much more to her story than what she told him. He knows he isn't supposed to ask questions, but this… this is _clearly_ not a sufficient explanation.

"_I took the vortex out of you? How?_"

"_You never really said._"

"_And… it was all gone? I ran some tests, and made sure it was gone?_"

"_Um, no, you never ran any tests. We were… kinda preoccupied right after that._"

This startles him. The Time Vortex is incredibly dangerous, so much so that even Time Lords refrain from experimenting with it. How could he have not examined her thoroughly after what she had done?

"_What could possibly have been more important than ensuring no part of the vortex remained in you?_"

"_You… you regenerated._"

Oh. That… would explain it, yes. Regenerating is always… unpleasant, and he could see how it would push other concerns away. Nonetheless, it was foolish of him to ignore Rose's safety.

Apparently he will become a foolish man.

He feels himself growing annoyed with both of his future regenerations, the first for sending Rose and the TARDIS away, and the second for not dealing with the consequences. He feels quite certain that this is the explanation for Rose's remarkable characteristics. The vortex is a chaotic, uncontrollable force, and living with a piece of it inside of oneself… The consequences would undoubtedly be unpredictable. Could it be protecting Rose from harm?

"_Well, that's more than likely the cause, but I will definitely need to run some long overdue tests. If you have part of the vortex still within you, it could be…extremely dangerous._"

"_But Doctor… That happened _years_ ago. There's never been a sign of me being affected by it before now. Do you really think it could have caused this?_"

"_Hmm… Maybe something triggered it recently… I need to think about this._"

They fall silent again as he ponders everything he has learned. Taking in the Time Vortex… He is still amazed that Rose would do this for him. He must be an extremely lucky man in the future, to have found such a companion. As ridiculous as it is, he feels a little jealous of his future self.

And speaking of _him_, where is he? Rose said he_ isn't here right now_, whatever that means. His future self is pushing his luck a little too far, letting his companion wander into such dangerous situations without him there.

Of course, as it turns out, he _is _here. But his future self had no way of knowing that.

Besides, whatever happened to Rose must have occurred after they were separated, judging by the fact that he had not noticed any telepathic abilities in her before then. But just how long has he been away, exactly? What is keeping him from returning to her?

Would she tell him if he asks?

"_Rose?_"

She doesn't answer, and he notices her presence in his mind has dimmed to a low glow, her head resting heavily on his chest. She has fallen asleep, no doubt exhausted by the emotion of the past hour and the strain of the telepathic link on her inexperienced mind.

He withdraws gently from her head, reluctant to leave her comforting presence but unwilling to disturb her sleep. Keeping his arms around her, his eyes still closed, he feigns sleep for Dzarn as he settles for long hours of musings without much hope of answers.

* * *

**A/N: Just a heads up, the next chapter might also take me a little longer, because I'm finishing writing up my thesis right now, which takes a lot of my time. Ugh, real life... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one!**


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